Outstanding Specimens & Notable Trees

The Arboretum has a significant number of specimen trees and outstanding shrubs. A listing of thirty of these trees can be found in the “Notable Trees” brochure. Outstanding shrubs can be found throughout the Arboretum. Forty-one species of trees and shrubs growing at Landis are outside their hardiness zones. These species are not usually expected to survive in USDA Zone 5 and yet, they survive due to the many microclimates at the Arboretum and conditions specific to each site.

Buckleya distichophyllaBuckleya distichophylla is an endangered species that grows naturally as an understory shrub in only one region in the United States, in the Southern Appalachians. Seven original seedlings from the Biltmore estate in Asheville, North Carolina, planted at Landis in 1952 have been surprisingly successful and have established the Arboretum as an unexpectedly strong outpost of this plant. Its numbers have increased to over 55 plants. Buckleya is a hemi parasite; it has green leaves for photosynthesis and relies on the host plant roots for water and mineral nutrients.